Destined: 2 Be Continued

15. Alex Cuts the Bull

"Are you alright? That looked like it hurt."

Alex had landed on his rear end for the eighth time in the hour. Jeremiah extended his hand, offering to help him up. Alex accepted, then stood up, dusting his pants off. "I think I should be fine," he muttered, really not being fine. He wasn't hurt that badly in the physical way, but his pride was pretty badly bruised. He had been humbled time and time again today, he had been beaten by Jeremiah in almost every way possible. Sure, he had won once or twice, or maybe even three times, but Jeremiah  didn't let that victory last long.

"What time is it?" Alex asked. Jeremiah looked at his wrist, which didn't have a watch on it. "It's six oh seven," he answered. No wonder Alex had been hungry--it was pretty much dinnertime. He followed Jeremiah to the eating room, where they got something to eat. After a quick meal, Alex decided it was time for him to go to bed. He hoped his injuries didn't carry over to Dreamy as he slowly slipped into the strange world in his mind.

He awoke six miles into the ground. That was not what he was expecting. "Uh...Windigo? Windigo, are you there?" he called out. Windigo didn't respond, which frightened Alex to a point where he was uncomfortable. Alex called out for Windigo a few more times, and finally he heard a response.

"You must fight without the power of the sky, Alex," Windigo answered. "I trust in you, and I have faith in your abilities." Alex felt for his staff, and he was relieved to find it on his belt. He released it and let it extend, preparing for battle, wherever that may come from.

The wall in front of Alex, which was made completely out of dirt, opened up. Behind the wall was a long, long hallway, so long that Alex couldn't see the end. Alex considered walking down it and began to take a few steps when he heard a rumbling coming from the other end. He gulped instead, and held his staff in front of him. He wasn't sure what was going to happen, but at least Windigo had faith in his abilities.

A figure slowly appeared from the other end. It had horns and seemed to have to lean over to fit in the hallway. Alex looked at the height of the ceiling and saw it was about nine feet. What was taller than nine feet tall? Alex looked back at the figure, seeing that its legs looked like they ended in hooves.

A Minotaur? That was definitely a possibility in a world where pegasi made of Wind talked to you, and the Wind was your friend. The figure drew closer, increasing the suspense. It didn't seem to have a weapon, but its fists must have been at least the size of Alex's face, perfect for bashing his skull in. If it was going at top speed when it hit him, what was going to happen? Would he die? If he died in the dream, did he die in real life?

The figure was definitely a Minotaur. Alex was sure of that now. The Minotaur was dangerously close, so Alex scrambled around, looking for a place to hide. He stepped to the side just in time for the beast to run through the small room and bash its head into the opposite wall. Alex leaped on it and whacked it in the back with his staff.

In normal circumstances, the Berserker's Iron would have seared the skin of the Minotaur, but in this situation, it did absolutely nothing. Still, Alex knew he could not lose heart, and he whacked again and again. Slowly, a burn mark began to develop on the back of the Minotaur's neck. Alex tried to hit again, but the Minotaur threw him off. He landed on his feet, bracing himself on his staff.

The Minotaur charged him again. This time, Alex didn't have time to react while in the small room, and he ended up being trapped between its horns. Luckily for Alex, he had stayed just skinny enough so that the Minotaur couldn't pick him up, but it was dangerously close. The Minotaur pulled its horns out, and Alex flipped his staff so that it nailed the Minotaur right in the face.

The Minotaur roared in pain, clutching its now-burnt face. When it lowered its hand, it looked at Alex with such a rage that Alex was again questioning whether or not he would die in real life if he died in Dreamy. The bull-man's eyes were red with fury, and it raised its fist at him. It punched, but Alex dodged just in time and whacked the Minotaur on the back. It roared in pain again.

The Minotaur continued to turn around, but Alex would just sidestep so he stayed to its back, and whack it in the back. It was a perfect strategy, really.

Eventually, the Minotaur couldn't handle it anymore. Its skin turned a bright red, and it turned with a speed that Alex couldn't match. It punched for him again and again, but Alex continued to dodge. He finally jabbed it in the eye with one of the flats of his staff, and it was finally done. The Minotaur turned to ash from all the strikes from Berserker's Iron, and Alex was victorious. Suddenly, he was carried through all that solid earth and into the sky.

"Why can't you fight Jeremiah with that much strength and cunning?" Windigo, who was seated on a cloud, asked him. 

"Because I don't want to hurt him?" Alex tried.

"Ah. So you 'go easy' on him, although he does not 'go easy' on you," Windigo deducted. 

Alex sighed. "I guess you're right," he admitted.

"Good," Windigo concluded. "You are free to go. Have a nice day, Alexander Grey." With that, Alex woke.

He began the day normally: he took a shower in the built-in bathroom, put on his clothes, made sure he had his staff, and stepped into the eating room.

Little did he know the importance of Penny's dream that last night.